056: An Entrepreneur is someone who jumps

“An entrepreneur is someone who jumps off a cliff and builds a plane on the way down.” – Reid Hoffman

This was drawn by Nizar86. Check out his other work too!

Reid Hoffman is the co-founder of Linkedin, the social network for working professionals and potential employers. Linkedin has served the needs of the hiring industry all over the world and made Reid a wealthy man.

Lesser known though, is that Hoffman was involved in social networks in the 1990’s. He founded a social network cum dating site called SocialNet.com, which flopped due to it being way ahead of its time. He then became one of the early vice presidents at Paypal till it was bought over by eBay.

He also wrote the bestselling book, “The Start-Up of You“. Its core message is, if you want to get ahead in the corporate world, you have to work on your career as it is a start-up.

His message, as with the comic, is that entrepreneurs are the ones who take great risks and make them pay off. It’s a great way to look at entrepreneurship. The thrill of risking it all and winning the game at the end of the day drives many entrepreneurs.

However, I do want to point up that anyone should always take calculated risks, and that risking much doesn’t automatically mean your business will succeed. Even for Hoffman, his first attempt at creating a social network failed. If you are an entrepreneur jumping off a cliff, always bring a parachute.

Let me know what you think of this quote in the comments below.

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